Anonymous
Post 09/10/2014 08:13     Subject: Decorating, adding layers, after a long, long period of purging.
OP I dont know. I feel like if I were in your spot I would rejoice at the hard won emptiness, and start with:

1) paint
2) photos/wall art
3) rug


Thats it. See how that feels.
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2014 21:38     Subject: Re:Decorating, adding layers, after a long, long period of purging.
I think for the main living areas, you should think about hanging family photos. You can supplement with mirrors, pottery, framed prints. Do a family excursion to one of your favorite museum and buys some prints for matting or framing.

In terms of accent pieces, I don't like furniture that doesn't have a purpose.

Given your tastes, I would check out furniture places in Adams Morgan:
http://washington.org/DC-focus-on/adams-morgan-shopping
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2014 20:43     Subject: Decorating, adding layers, after a long, long period of purging.
You need a decorator! Purposefully add the right pieces!
Anonymous
Post 09/09/2014 18:25     Subject: Decorating, adding layers, after a long, long period of purging.

We've been in serious purge mode for a couple of years now. The loss of parents, moving house, divorce...we were left with multiple households' worth of kitchenware and too, too much furniture. Knick knacks were boxed up, photos gone through, papers filed, over the course of a very hard couple of years. Clearing things out was the weekend activity almost constantly.

So, now, I am faced with a wonderful problem. Now that we're down to the minimum, the house looks bare. The walls are a lovely neutral. Furniture wise, we're down to two sofas, a dining room set, and a single sofa table with two lamps. It looks as if we've put the house on the market and are in need of someone to stage it.

I'd like to start with rugs, wall decor, and accent furniture, but I find that I am completely shut down. I'm so afraid of new clutter. Help me begin.

The place doesn't look lived in and that's not what we intended when we started this serious clearing out.

Help! How to begin. I'd like to go warm and ethnic. Think mix-culture family with a lifetime of travel. The kids' rooms feature African artwork. Our bedroom has Moroccan hanging lamps. There's a Russian samovar in the kitchen. The main floor is just empty of all that makes the other spaces cozy. I think because they are smaller, they are easier to edit. The openness has been hard won.

How to start? How to keep it coherent AND worldly?